There are only a few more days left until parents learn which primary school their child has been awarded next academic year.

Parents will either be notified by email or letter on Monday, April 16, and while some will undoubtedly be happy, others will be disappointed as their preferred place goes to someone else.

There is, however, an appeals process available and the following intends to be a guide for those who need it.

Appeals can be lodged though Derby City Council or Derbyshire County Council’s independent appeal panels which follow strict national guidelines.

Appeals

On Monday, April 16, parents will receive a letter or email with their school place offer. Parents of children who have not been offered a place at their preferred school will receive a letter explaining the appeals process.

This will explain why your child has not been offered a place at your preferred school. The letter will ask you to either accept a place for your child at the nearest school with places available or advise on the appeal process.

There will be a reply slip which you will need to complete and return by a given date.

The long wait for a school place in over (Image: Getty images)

What if you want to appeal but don't want to lose the chance of the place at the school offered. What can you do?

You can accept the school offered and still appeal. If an alternative can be offered, the original allocated school offer is withdrawn.

Accepting the school place allocated does not affect your right of appeal for an alternative school but will ensure your child does have a school place if the appeal is unsuccessful.

Can I apply for other schools while I am waiting for my appeal hearing?

Yes, the Admission Authority says it will not prejudice your appeal if you apply for other schools in the meantime.

Likewise, refusing a school place does not strengthen your case at appeal.

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Can I appeal for more than one school at a time?

A family is allowed to have one appeal per child, per school, per academic year. In other words, you may appeal for more than one school at a time and if you do so, this will not prejudice the decision for your most preferred school.

The panel will make a separate decision for your case for each school.

Will the school my child has been allocated (or currently attending) be told about the appeal(s)?

No - no one will be contacted at the current or allocated school without your permission.

West Park School in Spondon topped a list of the best secondary schools in Derbyshire at the beginning of this year

Information you put in your appeal statement

If you have been refused a place because the school would be in danger of going over the 30 class places limit in the infant age group (Reception, Year 1 and Year 2) your appeal can only be upheld if you can demonstrate that the council has made a mistake which has denied your child a place or that the decision to refuse your child a place is unreasonable.

If you have been refused because the school has reached its published admission number and to take any more would mean it would become overcrowded, you should explain why you feel it is best if your child goes to this school, instead of the school the council has allocated.

Complaints about the Appeal Panel's decision

The Panel's decision is binding. This means it can only be overturned by a decision in a court of law. You should take legal advice if you are considering taking this action.

You can complain to the Local Government Ombudsman if you think something went wrong or was unfair with the admission or appeals process.

The Local Government Ombudsman can't overturn the Panel's decision but can ask the council to allow you a second appeal if your complaint is felt to be justified.

Myths about the admissions process

There are several myths parents should be aware of when appealing

School places and admissions can be a source of worry for parents and several myths have grown around the process.

If you only put one preference, you will be allocated that school

Untrue - The council has said this is not true and parents could disadvantage themselves by not using all the preferences.

If you only name one school and your child doesn't get in, they could be allocated to a different school and you will have no say in the matter.

This could be a school far away from your home, so it is important that you use all your preferences.

If you name the same school in all five preferences, you are considered five times for that school

Untrue - According to the Admissions Authority, this is the same as only naming one school and will not increase your chances of getting into a preferred school.

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Schools will only look at those children who have named them as first preference

Untrue - Schools do not know in which order they have been named. An equal ranking system is used to allocate places.

A child who has been baptised is guaranteed a place at a faith school

Untrue - If the school receives more applications than places available the places will be offered in line with the subscription criteria of the school. But whether your child is baptised or not will not be considered as an advantage or disadvantage.

If I think my preferred school will be oversubscribed, there is no point applying

Untrue - You should list your preferences in your preferred order (the order you which you want them considered) as demand for places changes every year.

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I am guaranteed a place at my local school even if I don't name it as a preference

Untrue - You must name your local school if you want to be considered for a place there. If the council cannot offer any of your preferences and you have not applied for your local school, it is unlikely you will be offered a place there.

Attendance at pre-school guarantee's my child a place

Untrue - According to the Admissions Authority, attendance at a pre-school group does not give a child a higher priority for admission to a particular school.

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Catchment areas

Untrue - Generally, there are no catchment areas for primary schools. However, for Voluntary Aided, Academy or Foundation schools, you should check their individual admissions criteria in the Infant, Primary and Junior Schools Information booklet

The earlier I apply, the greater chance I have of getting my first preference

Untrue - All applications are treated equally, regardless of when they are received, as long as they are received by the deadline.